Healing

“Que es su versículo favorito?” asked  Dr. Sara.

“Salmos 23,” answered the woman. 

“Y que dice Salmos 23?” probed the doctor.

The woman hesitated, momentarily confused as to why she was being asked to recite Bible verses during her doctor’s appointment.

“El Señor…” began the doctor.

In a soft and halting speech, the woman continued…

El Señor es mi pastor, nada me falta;

en verdes pastos me hace descansar.

Junto a tranquilas aguas me conduce;

me infunde nuevas fuerzas.

Me guía por sendas de justicia

por amor a su nombre.

Aun si voy por valles tenebrosos,

no temo peligro alguno

porque tú estás a mi lado;

tu vara de pastor me reconforta.

Dispones ante mí un banquete

en presencia de mis enemigos.

Has ungido con perfume mi cabeza;

has llenado mi copa a rebosar.

La bondad y amor me seguirán

todos los días de mi vida;

y en la casa del Señor

habitaré para siempre.

A gentle smile curved my lips as the patient and the doctor worked
through the passage together.

Healing was taking place.

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

Jet Leg

I am suffering from the common traveler’s ailment. Mis piernas están cansadas! My legs are tired! The day of sitting still on a plane made my legs as tired as a day of walking. The great thing was that yesterday we hiked to the Ecological Park at the top of the mountain Magdalena is at the base of. It took about an hour and a half to get to the top. There were some pretty steep parts that were made more difficult by the loose footing and altitude. My lazy legs were promptly pushed to the limit. Today I can feel all my leg muscles quite distinctly:) Nevertheless, the view and the rope swing at the top made the work worth it! As it is with most hikes. The Park was a Peace Corps project a while back. They made the trail up to the top and built some playground elements and places to sit at the summit.

Last night I slept with three pairs of pants, a tank top, a long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt, a zip up fleece, and socks! I would have worn a winter hat if I had one! I was still pretty cold, but warmer than the night before. Greta and I woke up to breakfast of eggs scrambled with tomatoes, red peppers, and some other unknown spice or sauce of sorts, bread, and coffee. Everyone drinks coffee here, from my five-year-old brother Justin to my dad José! They make their coffee significantly weaker than we do in the US and it has a lot of sugar in it.

Today was the first day at ministry sites in El Gorrión for us all. El Gorrión is a more rural impoverished village about a 20 min walk from Magdalena. I think we were all a bit unsure of what to expect but excited to get started. SI built a brand new Community Center for El Gorrión called Centro de Capacitación Integral where the clinic is located. They also have a new doctor, Doctora Sara Romero. Today was a new experience for us all at the clinic site as it was the very first day in the new clinic and with the new doctor. It went perfectly – except for spending the entire day on my feet. Doctora Sara let me listen to heart and lung sounds and palpate a stomach for amoebas. In the words of Doctora Sara, amoebas make the intestines “feel like a bag of rice.” No amoebas found today:) My site leader is a wonderful woman named Maureen. She’s a nurse originally from California. She and her husband Nick are on staff with SI. Nick works at the school in El Gorrión. They live in Antigua and work mostly in El Gorrión.

 Here is the clinic! The closed door is where the clinic is. The hallway leads to meeting rooms and storage and the roof and the bathrooms. There is also a kitchen to the right of the hallway.

A day of sitting followed by a day of hiking followed by a day of standing…I think the worst of the jet leg is passed.